Massage-chair.



No. 663,969. Patented Dec. I8, I900. J. M. JOHNSTON & U. VANORMAN MASSAGE CHAIR. (Application filed Apr 19, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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JOHN M. JOHNSTON AND OLIVER VANORMAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MASSAG E-C HAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,969, dated December 18, 1900.

Application filed April 19, 1900. Serial No. 13,498. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we,JoHN M. JOHNSTON and OLIVER VANORMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Massage-Chairs; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved attachment for chairs designed to enable the occupant to rub, knead, or massage a portion of his back which is not within convenient reach of his hands.

The invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out by the claim.

Heretofore various appliances have been providedsuch as brushes, straps, &c.for scratching or rubbing that region of the back and spine which lies between the shoulders.

The object of the present invention is to provide a chair with a back which can be conveniently manipulated by one hand of the occupant of the chair, whereby such occupant can rub, knead, or massage the inaccessible portion of his back.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of our invention, and Fig. 2 is a detail view.

In the accompanying drawings, showing an embodiment of our invention, 1 is the seat of a chair, 2 the back, and 3 the arms. Extending under the seat is a rock-shaft 4:, having a crank-arm 5 and an operating-lever 6. The shaft is suitably mounted in bearings,as brackets 7 attached to the seat or seat-frame. To the end of the crank-arm is attached a link 8, Which connects said arm to a sliding back 9, which may be solid or merely a frame covered with any preferred material which will constitute a suitable surface for rubbing,scratching, or kneading the flesh. This rubbing-surface may be detachable and interchangeable in order to apply different kinds of rubbingsurfaces.

In the present case the back consists of a frame, to which a flexible body portion is secured in any suitable manner, as by sewing,

pinning, 850., having an arm which extends below the seat to connect with the link 8 and a cross-bar at each end thereof, the lower one being a short distance above the seat. The lower cross-bar or other suitable means limits the downward movement of the seat,while the upward movement may be limited by a stud on the arm of the downwardly-projecting arm of the frame or by elongating the pin which connects said arm to the link 8. The back 9 is held in position by eyes or staples 10,which, in connection with the link 8, serve to guide the back and cause it to move in a directline substantially parallel with the permanent back. We are aware, however, that a practical device can be made by omitting the link and'attaching the crank-arm directly to the arm of the back, in which case the perforation in the seat would have to be enlarged; also, that the crankshaft may be provided with a lever at each end, on each side of the seat, to enable the operator to use either the right or the left hand, or both. Hence we do not confine ourselves to the particular construction herein shown as a preferred embodiment of our invention, but reserve the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of our invention.

Having thus fully described our invention,

what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is In a chair of the character described, the combination of a seat, a back, a sliding or movable frame carrying means for effecting engagement with the back of the occupant with its side bars extending below said seat, a rock-shaft linked to the lower ends of said side bars and a lever or arm fixed to said rockshaft and arranged within convenient reach of said occupant for actuation, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of witnesses.

JOHN M. JOHNSTON. OLIVER VANORMAN.

Witnesses for John M. Johnston:

JOSEPH R. EDSON, EDWIN B. H. TOWER, Jr. Witnesses for Oliver Vanorman:

J. F. EDWARDS, H. I. SMITH. 

